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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22427083">When in Rome</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyBeautifulCastiel/pseuds/MyBeautifulCastiel'>MyBeautifulCastiel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural, Supernatural RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cockles; JenMish; JIB11, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 18:36:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,935</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22427083</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyBeautifulCastiel/pseuds/MyBeautifulCastiel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Misha and Jensen are in Rome, crazy things happen. At the last JIB before the final Supernatural episode airs, Rome surpasses itself.... Jared's just pleased it's not his fault!</p><p>This is of course, just my imagination running riot, but this one was persistent, so here it is.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel/Dean Winchester, Jensen Ackles/Misha Collins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>113</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>When in Rome</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rome was always special, and something crazy always happened, sometimes on stage: sometimes off stage, and sometimes both.<br/>
</p><p>Misha loved it. He loved how everyone just kicked back and went with the flow. He loved where that sometimes took them. Some of his favourite memories had been made in this city, and a good many of them involved the man with whom he shared the stage now. The man currently bent double with laughter at some sharp, silly quip that Misha had just made.<br/>
</p><p>The Cockles panel so far had been awesome A change in programme scheduling meant that the last ever Supernatural had yet to be aired, but the love-story between their respective characters had developed beautifully in the second half of the season, and Misha couldn’t be more happy. There was no doubt now that Dean and Cas were in love, though there were those that still raged their denial. For the real fans, the only question now was whether the hunter and his angel would get their happy-ever-after. The atmosphere could best be described as barely contained hysteria and apprehension mixed with a good helping of hopefulness and anticipation, and the result was exhilarating. Misha was lapping it up and glancing at his co-star, he could tell that Jensen was too.<br/>
</p><p>The cast were under strict instructions not to drop any hints or spoilers, but Misha was well aware that other members of the cast were running a book, and that he and Jared were joint favourites to inadvertently give away the strictly guarded ending. Like the rest of the cast who were in Rome, he was determined not to give anything away. He knew the fans were going to love it, and no-one wanted to spoil it. Everyone had eased up on the alcohol consumption, to ensure they had their wits fully about them on stage. Misha lamented a little the possibility that Jensen might not be quite as outrageous  as in some very memorable past panels but had been pleased to discover that a sober Jensen was still very tactile and more than a little flirty on stage. The Rome effect, he mused.<br/>
</p><p>“Next question” he beamed, turning to his right.<br/>
</p><p>“This is a question for Jensen.” a middle-aged woman with dark wavy hair said, not even looking at Misha.<br/>
</p><p>Jensen peered into the relative gloom of the wings, and Misha saw him tense slightly. Ok, one of ‘those fans’ then.<br/>
</p><p>“Jensen, you have said in the past that you had trouble accepting the way the show was going to end…” she started.<br/>
</p><p>Jensen held up his hand to stop her, “No, no. That’s not what I said; I said it had taken me a little time to get my head around the ending, and there was a reason for that”<br/>
</p><p>“Because of the Dean and Castiel thing!” she interrupted.<br/>
</p><p>Jensen frowned, and started again. “No, I have no issue at all with the Dean and Cas ‘thing’ as you call it”<br/>
</p><p>Misha kept quiet, Jensen had grown tired of fans like this one, and he was interested to see what happened.<br/>
</p><p>“Dean and Cas are in love, that’s no longer in question, and I am totally on board with that, but the endi..”<br/>
</p><p>“You said Destiel doesn’t exist” the fan practically shrieked.<br/>
</p><p>There was distinct unrest in the crowd. Jensen turned his back to the audience, he didn’t even glance at Misha. Dammit, it had all been going so well, Misha thought. Jensen caught hold of his stool and dragged it closer to the front of the stage then sat down.  Misha perched on the edge of his, a few feet further back, and fiddled anxiously with his microphone.<br/>
</p><p>Jensen waited for the crowd to settle a little before announcing in a serious voice “time to set a few things straight” he rolled his sleeves up, as if to emphasise that he meant business.<br/>
</p><p>“I did once say that Destiel doesn’t exist that’s true”<br/>
</p><p>Someone in the crowd booed, but Jensen ignored them and ploughed on.<br/>
</p><p>“Y’see, I didn’t think it did. I mean it didn’t textually, and yeah, I was aware of the chemistry, sure, but me and Misha….” he paused, “Me and Misha are very close, and frankly I thought that what people were seeing was our personal chemistry”<br/>
</p><p>Someone whooped.<br/>
</p><p>Behind him, Misha raised his eyebrows in surprise, and a few more people in the audience cheered.<br/>
</p><p>“So sometimes we would joke about it, but I didn’t really recognise that it was being written that way sub-textually, until it was actually pointed out to me.  I was shown a video, um a fan-made video, actually” he smirked “and yeah, then I got it!” His smiled widened into a beam as people in the audience squealed and cheered.<br/>
</p><p>“But Dean is straight!” the fan protested once last time.<br/>
</p><p>“He’s really not, sweetheart”, Jensen responded tersely, then turned away, dismissing her altogether. He got up and moved his stool a few feet, a pensive look on his face. The action was pointless and Misha still silent, watched with concern. He knew that look; Jensen was mentally processing something. Perhaps it was time he intervened now and changed the subject. Before he could act however, Jensen had seated himself facing the crowd again, and was starting to talk.<br/>
</p><p>“You see, for the first however many seasons, we see Dean as a bit of a ladies-man, and then Cas comes along, and after a while, you only really see Dean with women when Cas has gone away, it was never sub-text that Dean was unhappy whenever he lost Cas. When Cas is around, Dean is perfectly happy”<br/>
</p><p>Not 100% true, Misha thought, but it was a reasonable point. He wondered where Jensen was going with this.<br/>
</p><p>“Now it’s true, you never see him hook up with a man either, but I have thought about this.” Jensen paused and surveyed the crowd. “And I think he just hadn’t admitted to himself that he was bi before. I think he realised in Purgatory. We know now that was when he had an epiphany and realised that he was in love with Cas, and I think that’s when  he first realised or maybe just admitted his sexuality to himself”<br/>
</p><p>The audience reacted with uninhibited delight, cheering and screaming and clapping.<br/>
</p><p>Jensen took a moment to peer round at Misha to gauge his reaction. Misha gave him a tender smile and a subtle thumbs up. Jensen smiled back and something passed between them.<br/>
</p><p>Jensen turned back to the adoring crowd. He needed to raise his voice slightly to be heard. “Now you could question how Dean could reach is forties and not realise he was bisexual,” he waggled his finger at the audience, who were giving him their full attention again now. “But I gotta tell ya, sometimes it can happen like that. You can be totally unaware, maybe you always appreciated a good looking guy but you never really thought anything more about it, and then one day you meet someone, someone really special, and you look into their eyes and that’s it! You just fall hopelessly and completely head over heels for them and everything just makes sense.” He smiled softly. “At least that’s how it was for me, nearly 12 years ago now”<br/>
</p><p>And now the whole hall was on its feet clapping wildly.<br/>
</p><p>Misha realised he had been holding his breath. “Jensen!”<br/>
</p><p>Jensen turned at the sound of his voice. Misha crossed the space between them and pulled him into a fierce embrace. Jensen moulded himself against Misha, wrapping both arms around him. Misha knew with absolute certainty that Jensen had not planned any of this, and he felt the man trembling slightly. Misha held him for the longest time as the crowd continued to applaud. Eventually he stepped back but didn’t let go. He cupped Jensen’s face with one hand and tenderly stroked his cheek with his thumb.<br/>
</p><p>“Careful now Mish, people will talk.” Jensen quipped shakily.<br/>
</p><p>Misha looked into Jensen's eyes and saw fear and uncertainty. No way was he was letting Jensen do this on his own. He lifted his microphone and said loudly and clearly, “Let them!” Then he dropped the mic, took Jensen’s face in both hands and kissed him. Jensen’s eyes widened, then closed as he melted into the kiss.</p><p>In the wings, Jared stood open-mothed watching his two best friends, lip-locked and totally absorbed in each other. The crowd was in chaos; he could see fans with tears streaming down their faces. Most were standing and trying to clap one-handed as they filmed the couple on the stage with their mobile phones.<br/>
</p><p>He thought about the times he had been ushered onto this very stage to try and rein things in a bit; well they were well past that stage now, and there was nothing he could do about it, and to be honest, he was fine with that.<br/>
</p><p>He was pretty sure that this wasn’t planned. Misha had looked as taken aback as everyone else at Jensen deciding to come out in the middle of their panel. Of course, they had all talked about it over the years, but he was pretty sure his friends would have warned him if they had planned this.<br/>
</p><p>Jared chuckled as two thoughts struck him at once; firstly, despite some close calls in the past, it hadn’t been him that had outed them, and secondly, Jensen always used to tease Misha that the public would get a Cockles kiss before they ever got a Destiel kiss, and he had been right about that, if only by about 7 hours!</p><p>When Jensen and Misha eventually broke for air, and when, after even longer, things in the hall had calmed down enough for the panel to resume. The couple, holding hands throughout, fielded some more questions. This was their story, and they wanted it told their way. At some point, Jared did join them on stage, pulling them both into a huge bear-hug.<br/>
</p><p>The fans that got to ask questions were all respectful and nobody overstepped.<br/>
</p><p>Did their wives know? Yes, of course! Theirs was a polyamorous relationship, and their wives not only supported them, but in the early days, had actively encouraged them to work through their feelings for each other.<br/>
</p><p>Had it really been nearly 12 years. Well, strictly speaking, not quite eleven since they got together.<br/>
</p><p>Was the first date story their actual first date? Um yes (accompanied by some adorable blushing.)<br/>
</p><p>Was there a story behind the matching rings they had been seen wearing? Obviously, they were not legally allowed to marry, but they’d had a ceremony attended by family and friends, including most of the cast and crew of Supernatural, when vows had been made, and rings exchanged, and maybe there had been a fancy cake and a first dance. Richard Speight had conducted the ceremony and Jared and Darius had been best men and they weren’t going to say when it happened, but it had all been planned by Daneel and Vicky and it had been the best day ever!<br/>
</p><p>When the rest of the attending cast members and Louden Swain came back on stage for the closing ceremony there were more hugs and tears and another standing ovation, which was partly a farewell to this wonderful family, and partly a salute to Cockles and their inspiring love story.<br/>
</p><p>As they left the stage, Jensen pulled Misha close. “Sorry sweetheart,” he murmured. “There’s nothing to be sorry for Jen” Misha replied, and kissed his cheek. “It’s Rome, crazy things happen in Rome!”</p>
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